Lux Luna Natura
by Hikari Hrair-rah
Summary: (First installment of Luna trilogy) Something bad happens to Kenshin, which triggers even more things happing! (Doesn't follow the storyline...started writing after the seventh episode.) COMPLETED
1. Night Approaches The Warrior's Defeat!

"I know you now, Himura Kenshin! Or should I say … Hitokiri Battousai? At last, the time has come!"  
  
"The time for what?"  
  
"My revenge. You bastard, you killed my father! Eleven years ago, or is recalling one face among all those you've slain too hard for you? He was a good and honest person, and you killed him before he could even try to defend himself!"  
  
The strange, heavily-cloaked man paused, as if saying all that had been very hard for him. Kenshin had his hand on his sword hilt, finely tuned senses screaming at him that this person in front of him was the definition of the word dangerous.  
  
"I may have, but the past is the past. I learned that when the revolution ended, that I did."  
  
"Oh, I've heard all about that. Mister Reverse-blade sword? The Battousai has sworn never to kill again, how noble. You profane my father's memory by using his weapon!"  
  
"Your father wielded a Sakabatou?"  
  
"That he did. Our family has passed down, from one generation to the next, a very unique style of sword fighting. I'm here to give you a sample of what my father could have done to you before you slaughtered him! Draw your sword, Battousai!"  
  
Kenshin barely had time to do so before the stranger charged, a sword already in his hands. Kenshin dived for safety, losing a few hairs to the other's sword.  
  
'He fights in a style similar to the Hiten Mitsurugi, but I've never seen -'   
  
Kenshin didn't have time to think further as the man was attacking again. This time he managed to block the other's blade. Under man's hood, Kenshin could see a feral grin etched on the man's face.  
  
"Very nice, Battousai! I expected nothing less! Now, see if you can handle this!"  
  
Kenshin didn't get a chance to figure out what exactly 'this' was before he felt the man's blade bite into the skin of his upper arm. It cut in deeply before Kenshin got out of the sword's range. Unfortunately, the damage was already done, and the arm was useless now. Kenshin had about a second to feel something he'd never felt before in his life, terror, before the man came in fast and furious. The legendary Hitokiri Battousai never knew what hit him.  
  
…  
  
He felt as the man, whoever he was, finally got bored of stabbing at Kenshin's stubbornly unmoving body and left, laughing loudly at the victory. The second he was alone Kenshin struggled to stand up, stabbing his Sakabatou into the dirt to give himself a support. Parts of him he didn't know existed screamed in protest at the movement. The man had not been merciful in the slightest.  
  
Where was he? Oh yeah, the swampy place near the bridge. Where he had fought Sanosuke's Zanbatou. That strange man had been stalking him for a week straight and Kenshin had wanted to confront him away from the others at the dojo…  
  
'Some confrontation.'   
  
At that point, his already weakened legs gave out and he slumped over, accidentally cutting his hand on the blade of his Sakabatou. Already dizzy from blood loss, Kenshin's vision blacked over as a far-away shout echoed across his brain… 


	2. Whispers through the leaves A Lonely Vo...

You guys like me! (^_^) And don't worry, i'm not planning on killing Kenshin...not yet anyway...  
  
"Speaking"  
  
'Thinking'  
  
~flashback~  
  
________________  
"I can't believe he went off on his own! Kenshin's so damn reckless! He should have at least told us he was going off to fight somebody!"  
  
Kaoru Kamiya was pacing in front of a closed door, which was the entrance to the small room they'd given Kenshin to sleep in. Dr. Genzai was inside now, working on the injured samurai. No one else was allowed in, and Kaoru was venting all her frustration and helpless anger into a endless stream of verbal complaints. Complaints that Yahiko was getting tired of listening to.  
  
"Will you cut that out! All you're doing is upsetting Ayami and Suzume, and besides why should he have told us? I bet Kenshin's in better shape right now then he'd be if he'd had someone else to worry about while he was fighting," Yahiko trailed off.  
  
"You don't think I know that? Kenshin almost DIED!"  
  
"Kenshin is gonna die?" Suzume asked her sister.  
  
"Grandpa will make him all better," Ayami said decisively.  
  
"Make him all better!" Suzume cheered up considerably.  
  
As all this was going on, Sanosuke Sagara came around the building from where he had been washing Kenshin's blood off.  
~Very late last night, the inhabitants of the Kamiya Dojo had noticed Kenshin's disappearance. It was just starting on dawn when they realized something was wrong and had spread out in search. Sanosuke had been looking along the river, without any luck. He'd actually been crossing the bridge to go back to the dojo when he saw a flash of light in the corner of his eye.  
  
He'd gone to investigate, and had spotted Kenshin's body. It hadn't been a pretty sight, and at first Sanosuke thought Kenshin was dead. But he felt a pulse, albeit a very weak one, in Kenshin's wrist and had scrambled to get the gravely wounded warrior back to the dojo. If he hadn't seen the sunlight reflecting off the Sakabatou, Sanosuke was certain he'd never have found Kenshin in time.~  
"Man, I'm going to be very upset if this thing is stained. Do you know how hard red is to get out of white cloth?"  
  
"How can you even THINK about your clothes at a time like this? Kenshin is -"  
  
"Kenshin is in the care of an excellent doctor, and right now whether he's alive or not isn't your concern, it's his. You won't help him get better by getting all worked up, Kaoru."  
  
Sanosuke waited as his words sank in, and watched as Kaoru sat down dejectedly in front of the door.  
  
"But Sanosuke -"  
  
The door slid open, bringing all further conversation to a halt. Dr. Genzai looked very serious as he gently slid the door closed behind him.  
  
"Well? Is he gonna be okay? Kenshin's just gotta be okay!"  
  
Dr. Genzai raised a hand to put a stop to Yahiko's babbling.  
  
"Well, we should all consider ourselves very lucky. If he had been found any later Kenshin would be dead now. It's a credit to him that he survived. But…"  
  
"But? But what? There just can't be a but!"  
  
"I don't believe anyone could fully recover from this. But even partial recovery will be slow and difficult. I warn you now, Kenshin will not be getting up for a while."  
  
"Can we see him?"  
  
Dr. Genzai looked at Kaoru sympathetically.  
  
"He's asleep right now. Not too many at a time should be alright, but he needs the rest, understand?"  
  
Kaoru didn't answer, but just headed for the door.  
  
...  
  
She slid it shut behind her, then hesitated. There, over in a corner, was a still form lying on a futon. Gingerly Kaoru sat down beside him and assessed the damage as best she could.  
  
Kenshin's head was bandaged, as was his entire chest and many places on his arms. Dr. Genzai had removed Kenshin's shredded and bloody shirt, which was wadded up in another corner. Under the blanket there were probably even more wounds. Kaoru didn't bother to check. She just sat and listened to his breathing. It was uneven, shallow. It scared her, to see him like this.  
  
She sighed, not loudly, but even so it triggered something. Kenshin stirred.  
  
"…Miss…Kaoru?…"  
  
His voice was so soft she barely recognized it.  
  
"I'm right here."  
  
She answered, and instinctively reached out and held his hand in her own. He squeezed her hand lightly, which in his current state was all he could manage. His head tilted in the direction he thought she was in, and then Kaoru saw that the bandages were wrapped tightly around his eyes.  
  
"I am…very sorry…for making you worry…that I am…"  
  
"Hmm. This time, I think I can forgive you."  
  
Kaoru saw a small smile appear on Kenshin's face, sweeter still for the effort he put into making it. It made her own mouth twitch upwards at the edges. They stayed like that for a while, Kaoru watching as Kenshin fell back asleep still smiling. 


	3. The Faded Moonlight Will she come to me...

O_O Wow, Eleven reviews already? *giggles* Oh, and about the sunlight thing - they'd been looking for him all night but Sanosuke found Kenshin just around dawn. Sano's not know for his innate pathfinding skills, or so I've been told.  
  
"Speaking"  
  
'Thinking'  
  
dono - means 'Miss', I think.  
  
Feel free to correct me at any time!  
  
______________________________  
Today was the day. Kenshin felt excited but forced himself to remain composed. If he got all worked up it might convince Dr. Genzai to keep him wrapped up even longer. He was already sick of not being able to move.  
  
'Or see. Yes, I definitely would have preferred to see even if I couldn't move my fingers.'  
  
Dr. Genzai had kept his eyes bandaged most of the time, and when he had changed the bandages the room was so dark Kenshin couldn't make out more then a vague moving blur where the doctor was. It always gave him a very disturbing feeling.  
  
Another effect of the bandages was that he had to be fed by one of the others for every meal. It was common sense after all - and it reduced the risk of Kenshin getting third-degree burns from trying to eat hot food. Sanosuke had teased him mercilessly about it but in a way Kenshin liked getting hand-fed.  
  
'Yahiko probably put it best when he said I was getting spoiled.'  
  
The memory made him chuckle softly, then wince as the motion tugged too hard on parts of his still-healing body. Still, he was right to be happy. He'd been getting slightly stir-crazy in here, although Kaoru-dono and the others all visited there were long times in between visits when all Kenshin could do was sleep or think. The thing he thought about the most was that last battle. He still couldn't figure out what sword style the cloaked stranger had been using. It was fast like his Hiten Mitsurugi, and yet it kept making him think of the Kamiya Kasshin. Whatever it was, the man's father had been wise to use a reversed blade on his sword.  
  
Further thought on the matter vanished when Kenshin heard the door slid open, then mostly shut again.  
  
"Well now, I'll bet you're happy today aren't you?"  
  
Dr. Genzai chuckled as he saw the big, goofy grin on Kenshin's face.  
  
"Well, I am very happy to go outside for a change. I think this room got smaller the longer I was in here, I believe it did."  
  
"Well then, let's not keep you waiting any longer! Oh, and you might want to keep your eyes shut at first. The door's a little bit open and they'll be sensitive to the bright sunlight for a while after being under wraps."  
  
Of course, the second the bandages were off his face Kenshin opened his eyes wide.  
  
"Ow! That really is bright!"  
  
"Well, he warned you didn't he?"  
  
Kenshin squinted to see a big shape sitting outlined in the doorway. It wasn't easy, considering Kenshin's face was covered by his hands, and his eyes were watery from the stinging.  
  
"Sanosuke?"  
  
"Yep. Better get used to the light quick now Kenshin!"  
  
With that barest warning Sanosuke kicked the door the rest of the way open. The effect was instantaneous.  
  
"IEEEE!"  
  
Kenshin didn't even try peeking through his hands this time. At least, not until he heard the other footsteps.  
  
"Sanosuke! What are you - Kenshin!"  
  
Miss Kaoru and Yahiko had come by to check on the commotion. Kenshin squinted as hard as he could through his hands, trying to make out the scene before him. Judging by the sounds, Sanosuke had punched Yahiko affectionately in the head while Miss Kaoru was slapping both of them using her wooden sword. While Dr. Genzai continued undoing bandages as if nothing unusual was going on, Kenshin tilted his head to the left just enough to avoid getting hit in the head by the previously mentioned wooden sword. The last thing he wanted now was another injury.  
  
"And that's the last of them! How does that feel now Kenshin?"  
  
Kenshin tried wiggling his toes, then with his eyes tightly shut he stretched out his arms and swung them, then wiggled the fingers.  
  
"It feels great now Dr. Genzai, that it most certainly does! Um, except for…"  
  
"Well, go sit outside for a while and your eyes should adjust more quickly," Dr. Genzai said smoothly. "Here, let me help you up."  
  
To Kenshin's delight his legs held him easily, as if they had never been injured before in his life. Dr. Genzai helped him past the three-way brawl between Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Kaoru.  
  
…  
  
It took a while, but finally seeing was no longer so painful and Kenshin could look around properly.  
  
'That's strange. Why is it so dark looking if it's just past the middle of the day?'  
  
Everything seemed darker, and all washed out. It was very disorienting. Kenshin looked at his hands. They looked far more pale then they should have. Finally, he looked over where Dr. Genzai was watching him. The bright colors of the doctor's clothes seemed almost drab, and his outline was a bit blurred around the edges. The dojo was a bit blurry as well.  
  
'What is going on?'  
  
"Kenshin, is something wrong?"  
  
He looked up to see the strangely distorted shape of Kaoru-dono, followed by a bruised looking Yahiko and Sanosuke, standing in front of him. All three of them looked worried.  
  
"It is as I feared."  
  
All four of them turned to face Dr. Genzai. 


	4. Uncertainties abound A smile in the dar...

^_^ I'm glad you all like me so much! As for Kenshin going blind...well, you'll just have to wait and see. Oh, and Gomen Nasai a million times in advance for the extreme OOCness and lack of accurate information. (PPL WANTING TO WRITE THEIR OWN FICS, DO _NOT_ USE INFO FROM ME! I'M NOT RELIABLE!) Heck, I might as well call this an A/U and be done with it....  
"Speaking"  
  
'Thinking'  
  
Flashback  
  
Shishou - old word meaning Master  
  
Baka Deshi - idiot pupil  
  
Baka - idiot, stupid, moron, fool, you get the idea  
Yadda yadda, I think you get it by now!  
__________________________________________  
"What do you mean!"  
  
"So you're saying he's blind now?"  
  
"How could something like this have happened?"  
  
Kenshin was still looking around, rubbing his eyes and squinting periodically. Dr. Genzai sighed, and ignored the questions from the other three.  
  
"Kenshin, do you recall, from during the fight, if your attacker hit you in the face with his sword? And where?"  
  
Kenshin blinked, then looked thoughtful.  
  
"Um, the flat of the sword landed here, here, and here." Kenshin pointed to parts of his face as he spoke.  
  
"And…the blade cut here, here, here, here, here…and yes, here - directly across my eyes!"  
  
"That nasty no-good cheater! He _was_ trying to blind him!"  
  
Sanosuke growled in the back of his throat as Yahiko yelled.  
  
"But he did not succeed. However, Kenshin, I'm afraid I can't do anything about your eyesight from this point. If it is possible, then your eyes will be able to heal themselves; otherwise you'll just have to learn to live with it."  
  
Dr. Genzai excused himself as the others tried to figure out how to cope with this devastating revelation. For a few minutes, no one said anything at all. Then Kenshin got up and walked off.  
'So this is how it goes, huh. Shishou would be rolling in his grave if I wasn't pretty sure he's still alive. How am I supposed to protect the ones I love if I can't see what I'm fighting against?'  
  
Pausing at a corner of the dojo, Kenshin thought for a moment before jumping, grabbing the roof edge, and swinging himself over. It was getting on late afternoon, and it was getting a lot darker to Kenshin's eyes. Briefly wondering where his Sakabatou was Kenshin lay down on the roof and for once, tried recalling his past instead of trying to forget about it. He wondered what his instructor would have said if he was here.  
  
"Wait, I know exactly what he'd say. 'Being a master swordsman means not being dependant on your normal senses. If you think a little eye trouble can stop you, then break your sword now and save your enemy the time!' He never liked it when people were pessimistic, that he didn't."  
  
It was a warm afternoon, and despite just being freed from over a month's enforced rest Kenshin fell asleep on the roof of the dojo.  
"Kenshin! Keep up, baka deshi! You're falling behind!"  
  
"Coming Shishou! Ah!"  
  
A very young Kenshin ran as fast as he could, while wearing a pack as big as he was and twice as heavy. In front of him, a man watched as he tripped over a tree root and landed right on his face.  
  
"Owww…"  
  
Little Kenshin whimpered as he sat up and held his aching face. His Shishou frowned.  
  
"Well? What's taking you so long?"  
  
"It hurts, I don't think I can keep going Shishou…"  
  
The man spat on the ground.  
  
"Himura, I am very disgusted at this display of juvenile behavior! How do you expect to even understand the basics of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu if this is how you behave after a little bump on the head? Feh!"  
  
Little Kenshin looked up at his sensei, still whimpering a little. The man growled in the back of his throat.  
  
"Well then, if seeing is too hard for you, then you'll just have to go about blind-folded!"  
  
"B-But Shishou, then I'll fall down even more!"  
  
"That's because you depend on your eyes! You depend on them to see for you! A master swordsman does not need his eyes, or even his ears, nose, or mouth! A blade cuts through the air without having any of those things! So should you!"  
  
In the middle of his shouting, the man whipped out his sword. It was a double-bladed Katana, dangerous to both it's opponent and it's wielder if the wielder was not skillful. Little Kenshin's whimpering stopped abruptly as the man sliced though the air with it, the wind singing over the twin edges.  
  
Suddenly he leapt forward, still swinging the Katana, and using the speed characteristic of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu seemed to vanish but was actually running around very fast. Little Kenshin froze as a few red hairs floated down, neatly snipped from his head. But when he tried looking around he seemed to be alone.  
  
'I can't see him, where is he?'  
  
After looking around futilely, Little Kenshin squeezed them shut.  
  
'Shishou's right, I can't find him because I think I should be able to see him in order to find him. But what if I…'  
  
A full minute passed, and then Little Kenshin whirled to his left. His Shishou was there, blade pointed right at Kenshin's head. It was less then an inch away from his nose.  
  
"Good work baka, you're finally learning!"  
  
The man sheathed his sword and waited for Little Kenshin to clamber back to his feet…  
S  
  
Kenshin woke up with a small start, before remembering where he was. It was just dusk now, which for his new level of eyesight meant it was almost pitch-black. He sighed to himself before he heard the thing that had woken him up in the first place.  
  
"KENSHIN! IF YOU'RE STILL HERE, THEN ANSWER ME AND COME HAVE SOME DINNER!"  
  
'Kaoru-dono sounds very upset. I hope she does not blame this on herself.'  
  
Kenshin moved slowly over the roof to where her voice was coming from. In the murk he could see her, more or less. Kenshin could tell from the tone of her voice that her face was very worried looking.  
  
"Give it a rest Kaoru, I doubt he's still here."  
  
Kaoru turned to glare at Sanosuke.  
  
"But -"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Kaoru! No way would Kenshin just leave and never come back over a little thing like this!"  
  
Yahiko was grinning, even Kenshin could see that.  
  
"You call something like this LITTLE! You little brat, I'll-"  
  
"Hey, watch it ya old hag!"  
  
"WHY YOU-"  
  
Kenshin sighed as his two close friends Kaoru and Yahiko began smacking each other with their wooden swords. Sanosuke wisely stayed out of it. 


	5. Sunrise promise I remember it well

Hmm, only one review? Well, it's not like I'm complaining or anything, but I would like to know what _everybody_ thinks about this idea...*sighs*  
'Thinking'  
"Talking"  
Note: I am of the opinion Kenshin actually likes Kaoru's food. Scary, no?  
_____________________________________________________  
It was many hours later when everyone went to bed. Kenshin had sat on the roof and watched them the entire time. He thought it was unusual that even Sanosuke didn't notice him. Kenshin found he was only half right when Sanosuke set a covered box outside.  
  
"Well, here are all the leftovers, in case a certain somebody gets hungry later. G'night!"  
  
So, Sanosuke _had_ noticed his presence, but not confirmed his exact position. So much the better. Kenshin really wanted to be alone right now anyhow. If he was to last even one more day with his eyes like this, Kenshin had to figure things out by himself or he'd lose it.  
  
'Shishou said to never let something minor distract you from your real goal. Hmm…my goal is to protect these people. I _can_ see, but not very well. And Shishou would consider my head being chopped off minor as long as I could still use my sword.'  
  
That little tidbit made him smile. Actually, much of his earliest instruction he remembered quite fondly, back when he had just been training in the way of the sword in general. Hiko Seijuro had been pretty rough around the edges, very strict, but in all not a particularly bad person.  
  
"'If one wants to be the best, then learn it. If one wants to stay the best, then practice the damn thing!' I haven't really practiced in a long time, that I haven't."  
  
Kenshin grinned.  
Yahiko woke up early the next morning. After doing his business he was headed back to bed when he saw that one of the dojo's training swords was missing.  
  
"That's weird. Who would take a stupid wooden sword?"  
  
Yahiko knew Sano didn't use swords anymore, and Kaoru slept with hers like a doll of some kind. So who could have taken a wooden practice sword? That's when Yahiko heard the faint 'clicking' noise from above.  
  
"What in the world?"  
  
Yahiko ran outside, shimmied up a corner of the dojo, and peeked over the edge. He saw the last thing he ever would have expected.  
  
'Kenshin? With a wood sword? Oh, I get it! I wonder if he was up there all night? Only one way to find out - but first…'  
  
Running at warp speed, Yahiko grabbed some food, and another wood sword, before shimmying back up and climbing up onto the roof. Kenshin's back was to him. Yahiko tried walking up without making a sound but to his surprise Kenshin spoke without turning to face him.  
  
"Aren't you up a little early today Yahiko?"  
  
Yahiko laughed.  
  
"I could say the same for you, ya know! What, did my morning breath give me away?"  
  
Kenshin turned to face him, laughing as well. He held the wooden sword casually in one hand. Yahiko pretended to pout.  
  
"Well then, I guess you don't want your breakfast, hmm? Kaoru was all tense after you ran off last night and made tons of food! I snagged some for ya, it's not good to miss meals you know."  
  
Yahiko sweat-dropped as Kenshin began gobbling down all the proffered food.  
  
'Huh. And Kaoru says _I_ eat like a pig. You know, I would have expected Kenshin's eyes to be less … well, less _something_ if they were injured. Just goes to show you I suppose.'  
  
"So Kenshin, whatcha doing on the roof anyway?"  
  
"Training."  
  
"Training? You mean, like working on some super-secret technique so nobody can get ya by surprise again?"  
  
"Nope, I just don't - munch - want to get rusty, that I don't."  
  
Yahiko sweat-dropped again as Kenshin spoke with his mouth full. His stomach full, Kenshin sat and savored the taste for a moment before getting back up.  
  
"So, need a sparring partner Kenshin?"  
  
"No thank you Yahiko. I'm just working on the basics, that I am."  
  
Yahiko sat down and watched as Kenshin began swinging the wooden sword around. It was a lot different then the way he and Kaoru practiced, and after watching for a while Yahiko said so.  
  
"Well, that's because - the Kamiya Kasshin and the - Hiten Mitsurugi are very - different styles of sword fighting," Kenshin grunted as he continued swinging his sword.  
  
"Well, I know the Hiten Mitsurugi goes really, _really_ fast," Yahiko said slowly.  
  
"But Kenshin, how does making an x-shaped swing help?"  
  
"It loosens - up the shoulder joints, and makes the arms - work harder. The lines of the swing are curved exactly - enough to force the arms to become more flexible."  
  
As he spoke, Kenshin paused with the sword held straight out in front of him.  
  
"That teaches the arms to move quickly. Do you understand now Yahiko?"  
  
"Nope!"  
  
Kenshin sweat-dropped. Yahiko jumped up and held out his own sword.  
  
"Those kinds of fancy moves may work going high speeds, but what if you can't run? Then you gotta swing with some real power, like this!"  
  
Yahiko swung straight down. It was exactly like Kaoru had taught him, and the wooden tip smacked down loudly against the rooftop.  
  
"Ya see?"  
  
"Hmm, yes that is a powerful swing Yahiko, but if you can't hit the target it wouldn't be much use, now would it?"  
  
"I guess you got a point. Hey Kenshin, maybe you can teach me how to move faster! I mean, running around really fast wouldn't be too hard to learn would it?"  
  
"It depends on your definition of hard, I'm afraid."  
  
Kenshin grinned.  
  
"You see, I learned how to move fast by running with heavy stones tied to my legs!"  
  
Yahiko face-faulted. 


	6. An end to the moonless days Can you hea...

Ugh, Gomen Nasai for the extremely long wait between chapters!  
  
"Talking"  
  
'Thinking'  
  
Mushi - Bugs in general  
  
I might as well say it again, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and this doesn't follow the exact storyline! Enjoy!  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Kaoru peeked out the door, before tip-toeing out and sliding it quietly behind her with a sigh. It had been almost a week now since they'd discovered Kenshin's eye problem and she still felt it hanging over her. She hadn't seen Kenshin since either. Oh sure, maybe she had been avoiding him, and the others didn't say anything about Kenshin's location around her to spare her feelings, but it wasn't helping.  
  
'Well, I did catch a glimpse of red hair here and there but it's just not the same.'  
  
She thought things like that as she left the dojo and walked to the bridge. It was night now, and she liked to come here sometimes to watch the water and forget her troubles.  
  
It was only until she realized that there were other people lurking in the shadows at either end of the bridge that Kaoru decided going off on her own without a sword was a bad idea.  
  
'Sanosuke mentioned bandits but no, you had to go wandering off without telling anyone!'  
  
"Hey there pretty lady, what are ya up to?"  
  
"It's not safe for a little girl like you to go wandering around at night, ya know."  
  
"Yeah, didn't ya hear about the Mushi Bandits being in town?"  
  
Five thugs surrounded Kaoru from all sides. They all had short swords out, but looked very confident. They knew they didn't need to protect themselves from her.  
  
"Well then, thank you for telling me, gentlemen. Now, if you'll excuse me -"  
  
The lead bandit held out his sword and stopped her.  
  
"You ain't going anywhere, small fry."  
  
There was a gust of wind and suddenly a thug fell over. The others and Kaoru blinked.  
  
"What's with him? He - uhh…"  
  
A second thug toppled over mid-sentence.  
  
"Spread out! Some wise guy's throwing rocks!"  
  
"No way, these two are like they somebody hit 'em over the head with a dead horse!"  
  
Kaoru tried edging away but the leader was smarter then the others and held his sword at her throat.  
  
"Whoever's out there, show yourself or the girl dies!"  
  
"As you wish."  
  
Kaoru gasped in shock as Kenshin appeared out of nowhere, standing on the railing with a hand resting on the hilt of his Sakabatou. The bandits began grumbling about 'the no-good punk' but Kaoru just stared in astonishment.  
  
'But I thought he couldn't see well, even in the daytime! And even for me, it's pitch-black out!'  
  
"You should leave now before you end up like your friends."  
  
Kenshin pointed to the unconscious pair.  
  
'He did that? I know the Hiten Mitsurugi is fast, but the second time he didn't even cause a wind! If he even did the first time…what's going on?'  
  
While Kaoru tried to figure it out, the bandits tried rushing Kenshin. The Rurouni didn't even bother drawing his sword, instead knocking them all out with one swing of the sheath. Then he walked up to Kaoru.  
  
"Hello again Kaoru-dono. It's nice to see you after you were hiding away all this time."  
  
Kenshin was grinning as he always did. Kaoru didn't know what to think anymore.  
  
"You mean…you can actually see me? But I thought…"  
  
"Well, I can't see you like I used to," Kenshin admitted. "But, I've gotten quite good at seeing even like this, that I have."  
  
"But where have you been all this time? It's been nearly a week! I was worried sick! Honestly Kenshin, you have absolutely no respect for other people's problems!"  
  
Kenshin blinked as Kaoru stomped on a bandit's head as she began heading back to the dojo, still complaining. Kenshin followed behind her, smiling at the same old Kaoru.  
  
"Kenshin, I swear sometimes you are completely hopeless! And another thing, you haven't had a bath since you left have you? You're not setting a single foot inside until you get cleaned up! And somebody's going to have to get all those tangles out too. You need to learn to take better care of yourself Kenshin, your hair's a complete rat's nest! And another thing…" 


	7. Update

ATTENTION EVERYBODY!  
  
Sorry, but this section of my Runrouni Kenshin "Luna Series" has ended.  
  
But don't be sad!  
  
The next installment for the series, Pax Mitsuraga, is already on-site!  
  
Please go and check it out, won't you?  
  
Until then, sayonara minna! 


End file.
